


Cotton Candy

by milkywaydreams



Series: Vanya Hargreeves Shorts [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Bisexual Vanya Hargreeves, F/F, First Date, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, One Shot, Vanya Hargreeves Needs A Hug, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-25 23:13:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18271064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milkywaydreams/pseuds/milkywaydreams
Summary: ONE SHOT.Vanya goes on a date with a friend (OC/Reader insert). That's really it. I just wanted to write something really cute and sweet because it's what she deserves.





	Cotton Candy

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first TUA fanfic/drabble and the first work I've ever posted online. This was written while i was sleep deprived and emotional. I may turn this into a full on fic, but I'm still deciding.
> 
> Enjoy!!

They spent months as friends giving each other lingering gazes. Wondering if there could be more between them. Inching closer each time they hung out. Late night talks on park benches. Splitting off from the others when Vanya became overwhelmed. It was a matter of time before one of them cracked and asked the other on a date. Tonight would be the first time they hung out as possibly more than friends. She had put it off for weeks now, but the ever patient friend waited for her, not caring if it took years for her to accept the offer. 

And the night finally came.

Vanya stood in front of her mirror with a smile askew on her face. The hot pink dress Allison gave her years ago hung on her like an old woman’s drapes. No. Absolutely not. 

Tearing off the garment and discarding it over the back of the couch, she slipped back into her jeans and oversized button up. It wasn’t flashy or cute, but it was her and she could breathe again. Worried thoughts spiraled inside her head, prompting her to take the pill bottle from her pocket and dumping one into her hand. The water bottle in her hand shook.

The rev of a motorcycle brought her back to reality. Or maybe it was the medicine. Some days it was impossible to tell. Fussing with her hair, she eventually gave up and left it down. Wallet, phone, keys. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as she skipped out the door - nearly forgetting to lock it - and all but stumbled over her feet going down the stairs. In the foyer of her building, she paced around. Did she remember to brush her teeth? Would she be upset she didn’t put more effort into her outfit? As if standing at the end of a high dive, Vanya Hargreeves knew she couldn’t wait all night. She had to take the plunge.

Pushing open the door and bolting out, she came face to face with-

“Katherine, hey,” Vanya greeted, finding it hard to breathe. 

Blonde hair glittered in the sunlight as her date turned around. A bright smile painted her lips. She adjusted her black leather jacket and strode over towards her. Vanya had to tilt her head up to look up at her. She mirrored her smile as butterflies tickled her stomach.

“Hey, doll,” She said, leaning down to kiss the shorter woman on the head. One of her index fingers touched the bottom of her chin with a coy smile. “You can call me Kat, Vanya. Here-” She lifted her free hand to show her a brand new helmet. “I’ve never had someone ride with me before - so I’m not risking anything.”

Vanya shoved her head inside the dark blue helmet and felt its weight when she let go. Kat rapped her gloved knuckles on the top with a pleased smile. “How do I look?” She asked, looking up at her date.

 

“Badass. And safe.”

It took a bit of maneuvering for Vanya to get onto the back of the motorcycle. Its sleek black frame made it slippery and she was held her breath when a helmeted Katherine got on in front of her. They were nearly pressed into one another. Her friend looked over her shoulder at the way Vanya leaned away from her and chuckled.

“You can touch me, I don’t bite. Much.” Heat bloomed in her masked cheeks. The headgear came in handy in more ways than one. Sheepishly, Vanya leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Kat’s middle. If there weren’t layers of clothes between them, she swore the woman would have felt her heart drumming away behind her ribs. The motorcycle roared to life and they took off in a flurry of wind. 

Thrill struck like a shock of lightning. Hair whipped behind her as the rush of adrenaline trickled into her veins. So this is what it was like to feel? If only Allison could see her then. None of her siblings knew that she had finally stepped outside her comfort zone - not that they would care anyway. Vanya shoved her family deep into the back of her mind, snuffing out the weary glances and pursed lips from the last time she spoke with them. She laughed over the wind, arms squeezing tighter and catching the attention of Katherine.

Smiling under her helmet, a hand reached and rested on Vanya’s thigh when they stopped for a red light. She flinched instinctively. “Having fun back there?” Kat asked over the rumbling of cars.

“I think this is the most free I’ve felt in years,” Vanya admitted, cheeks hurting from smiling so much.

///

When they arrived at the fair, the sun hung low behind buildings and vendor tents. Rainbow lights flickered and buzzed in time with the cheesy pop music lazily playing over the drone of laughter and chatter. Side by side, Katherine and Vanya entered the fair and took in the salty scent of fresh popcorn and pretzels. The leather clad woman paid for a handful of tickets, despite the insistence and near begging of the other. 

“What do you feel like doing first?” Kat asked, peering down at her. Free from gloves, her bare fingers idly pushed a few strands of loose brown hair out of her face. Vanya froze and shuffled her feet around the grave beneath them. Rubbing the back of her neck, she began to stammer.

“I mean...we can do what you want to do first - you did suggest the fair,” She looked around, a thin smile stretched across her face. Eyes landed on the pirate ship heaving back and forth. Kathrine quirked a brow and followed her gaze to the ride.

“You always want to do what I want to do, Vanya. Tonight we’re doing what you want.” Long legs took off towards the pirate ship, hands shoved in the pockets of her leather jacket. She stopped and looked at the wide eyed woman still standing where she left her, a reassuring look dancing in her eyes. “Well? Are you coming or should I carry you? My nephews say I give the best piggy back rides.” 

Vanya shook her head, laughing bashfully and half jogged to catch up to her. They squeezed themselves into a back row of seats. Sandwiched between Katherine and the side of the ship, an arm draped over the back of their seat, just over her shoulders. 

“I’ve got you,” Kat teased. “Wouldn’t want you to fall… like that spill you had on the ice a few months ago.” Vanya scoffed playfully, arms wrapped around herself.

“It was dark! How was I supposed to know they didn’t salt the sidewalks yet.”

Their fond banter continued for a short while before the ship began to groan and jerk them around. Stomachs flipped and both women squealed with laughter each time the ride rose and fell. Vanya curled into Katherine without thinking, not that the other woman would mind. Legs turned to jello as they stumbled off at the end, holding on to the railings as their world swayed.

“Remember that time you had too many moscow mules?” Vanya howled, wiping away the gleeful tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. “And I had to convince you that we weren’t on a boat and you weren’t Captain Jack Sparrow?” 

“I remember that night differently - I was in fact Jack Sparrow, and we were on a boat.”

“Kat, we were at Olive Garden.”

The pair walked around the fair, talking about anything and nothing all at the same time. Katherine watched Vanya’s face, content to listen to her enthuse about what pieces she had learned recently and where she would be performing next. The fair was a dicey choice. The two tended to gravitate towards quiet cafes and parks. But the woman’s eyes shined brighter than she had ever seen them shine. Vanya rarely relaxed like that and Katherine had a front row seat, left to wonder if she knew just how intelligent, wonderful and extraordinary she truly was.

The sun finally disappeared and the moon came out to play. Lit only by the string lights and neon bulbs, the fair set the mood. No more worries. No sense of impending doom. Just Katherine. Vanya requested the ferris wheel next to watch the moonlight glitter on the water just off the pier.

Like the motorcycle, the narrow seats on the ride squished the two of them together. Arms and shoulders touched, jean-clad knees brushed against one another. On the outskirts of the fair, the screams and metallic clank of machinery became distant background noise. Vanya became hyper aware of how close they were. How Katherine’s hands twitched, mindlessly scratching phantom itches. She herself fidgeted. For the first time, they were quiet. One by one, the seats filled, lifting them higher and higher into the air. A gentle, salty breeze brushed past them. They watched the water shimmer. Waiting. 

A pinky finger brushed the side of Vanya’s hand. Her eyes dropped and noticed Kat had inched her hand over until it rested on the edge of her thigh. Without a word, heartbeat drumming in her ears, she nestled her hand beneath hers. Neither of them breathed or acknowledged the fact that their hands were interlaced, but both of them relished the simple touch.

The rest of the ride was a blur. They murmured compliments to the ocean and the mysteries she stored beneath her mirrored surface. Emotion swelled in Vanya’s chest like the crescendo of a Tchaikovsky concerto. Comfortable. Safe. Two things she never thought she would have and she found them in Katherine. As they stepped off, their hands stayed glued together as neither of them wanted to break apart.

“Oh wow,” Vanya marveled, pulling them to a stop. A woman in a pink pinstripe apron stood behind a machine with cotton candy swirling around the cone she held inside. The blue fluff billowed until it made an unholy mound of sugar that sat precariously on top of its paper home. “I haven’t had cotton candy in years.” Katherine, smirking a bit, pulled away from her and immediately pulled out her beat up wallet. Vanya followed hot on her heels.

“Hey, you paid for tickets, I’ll pay for-”

“Pink or blue?” Kat asked, already forking over the small wad of ones to the vendor. “You deserve to be spoiled after all my pestering.” Vanya sighed, running a hand through her hair.

“Blue.”

With a sugar cloud bigger than their heads, they found a corner of the fair no one occupied. Old wood creaked as they stepped onto the edge of the pier, leaning against the railing. Cotton melted in their mouths. While Vanya meticulously picked at her side, Kat devoured her like a starving lioness. She paused her feast and let a few fingers trail over her shoulder. The shorter woman didn’t flinch, though she did attempt to hid the color in her cheeks by looking out over the ocean.

“You’re stunning, Vanya,” Kat spoke, voice low and gentle. “And extraordinary.”

“Stop,” Vanya laughed, shaking her head and letting the wind carry her hair back out of her face. Pain lingered in her eyes and she no longer smiled. Kat shifted, standing up straighter and shuffling closer. This was the side of her that she saw in those empty parks. A woman carrying guilt and shame, shutting people out as soon as they start to get closer. Yet so desperate for love and human touch.

“Vanya.” 

“No, Kat-” Vanya stumbled over her words, flustered and doubting herself. “I’m just… normal. I can’t even make it to first chair. My family…”

“Maybe you’re not extraordinary-” Kat moved to stand in front of her, tender eyes studying her face. A hand laced fingers with Vanya’s sticky blue ones. Wet eyes flit around before dragging themselves up to look at her. “To them. But to me you are. I would watch you play for days if I could. Let you talk until your voice is gone. I adore you, Vanya Hargreeves. Absolutely adore you.”

Soft lips pressed into Vanya’s, capturing her before she could refute. She tasted sweet like candy. Slowly, Vanya let her eyes slip closed. Cotton candy fell from her hand as she pressed herself into Katherine. Even if this one woman thought she was enough… then perhaps that was all she needed to start believing it herself.


End file.
